Clarence’s case for bus bike racks

New York City buses don’t carry bicycles. Clarence Eckerson, Jr. of Streetfilms makes the case for bike racks on buses in his latest video.

Bike racks on buses are now commonplace in American cities, so it looks a little strange to see these images of New York City buses that are not adorned with Sportworks bike racks.

The comment thread at Streetfilms is a little bit amusing with New Yorkers explaining why bus bike racks can’t work, even though other systems have been using them successfully for about two decades now.

New York City does have something that makes bike racks less necessary — a decently connected transit network so the ‘last mile problem’ isn’t so much an issue. Transit agencies like bus bike racks because cycling expands the effective range for transit access. A bus stop with no bike access gives pedestrian access to about the surrounding square mile, while a bike expands that area 30 fold or more. A transit agency that cheaps out on routes, frequency and stops can slash bus service but add bike racks and call it a win.

Clarence suggests piloting with bike racks on buses that cross bridges with no bike access. He also wants bike racks on less wells served routes outside of Manhattan and Brooklyn.